


Stars To The East

by Ankokus



Category: TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Arranged Marriage, Fae & Fairies, M/M, Magic, Necromancy, War, tags will be added along the way
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-12
Updated: 2019-12-15
Packaged: 2021-02-01 06:15:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21413563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ankokus/pseuds/Ankokus
Summary: The Empire to the East has been rapidly expanding for the last 15 years, growing into one of the most powerful and threatening military forces to the Kingdom of the West.Beomgyu, youngest crown prince of the Kingdom one day finds out that he will inherit the throne. But even bigger, is the revelation of his arranged marriage to the Empire's heir, Soobin.
Relationships: Choi Beomgyu & Choi Soobin
Comments: 4
Kudos: 26





	1. revelations

The palace was in uproar. People were running from left to right and vice versa. Nighthall has always been quite bustling, but this was something else

“Your Highness, good morning, have you eaten yet?”, A courtier asked Beomgyu immediately after he left his room. He answered with a shake of the head and before he could even say anything, he was being pulled along in the direction of the kitchen.

“I must apologize Your Highness, the dining hall is currently off limits. I know it must be strange to eat with the peasantry, so I hereby humbly invite you to accompany me to my room so we can share breakfast.”

Beomgyu was flattered by the request, but also felt a slight sting to his heart as he heard the word “peasantry”. The courtier didn’t mean anything by it, after all, it was quite a normal assumption to make of someone of Beomgyu’s status, but he didn’t want to be seen like someone who thinks of himself as better than others.

“I’m sorry but I must decline. It is not everyday that I get the chance to converse with the workers, so I’d like to use this opportunity. Perhaps, you would like to accompany _me_?’, Beomgyu asked with a genuine smile. He could tell the courtier wasn’t pleased with this answer, but he didn’t let it get to him.

“No thank you, Your Highness, I’ve already eaten. Enjoy your meal”, and with a bow, he was gone.

“Your Highness, with all due respect, but would it not have been wiser to eat with Duke Lee’s son?”, one of the cooks who happened to hear the conversation asked. Beomgyu smiled before answering with “perhaps”. “But I feel like the nobility can get so drab sometimes. I’ll have plenty more opportunities to dine with him. Something I cannot say is the same for this.” He gestured toward the whole of the kitchen.

Beomgyu sat himself on one of the counters and freed up some space, pushing away bowls and pans so a plate could be set down. Food was promptly placed in front of him. He had not even finished an egg before the kitchen door aggressively opened.

“Beomgyu, we have no time, there is still much to do”, Yeonjun proclaimed as he cleaned the counter off. Beomgyu sighed, but didn’t struggle. “Don’t let he food go to waste”, he told the kitchen staff instead.

“I woke you up almost three quarters ago, how have you not finished eating?”, Yeonjun asked. He didn’t sound particularly annoyed, nor dumbfounded. In fact, the tone of his voice hinted at him not truly caring for the answer, for he already knew.

“No matter, your father is expecting you. We are to discuss amicable terms for termination of the war.” Yeonjun told a bored Beomgyu. They were walking back toward his room as the prince was still in his night attire. The halls seems to be less crowded now. Beomgyu noticed that the usual brown carpeting on the marble floors had been replaced by purple carpets with gold and blue accents. He hated these carpets. To him, it felt cold and distant. It reminded him of how out of place he really was.

“I don’t understand what that has to do with me”, Beomgyu noted. “For the past six years I have always been left out of political discussions for obvious reasons. It doesn’t make sense to suddenly rope me into it. Especially not for something this important.”

“Your father has his reasons, no matter, it is imperative that you look your best.” They had just arrived in front of the door that lead to Beomgyu’s oversized room. The door was decorated in a similar purple accenting as the carpets and was made of a very dark wood. The handles were pure gold and too expensive to think about. When Beomgyu opened the door, he could smell that his sheets had been changed. His outfit was on his bed, ready for him to change into.

“I asked for a bath to be prepared. Today I opted for a mix of rose essence and lavender to calm the nerves and supple the skin. Please don’t take too long, there is still much to discuss”, Yeonjun said with a smile.

Beomgyu unfastened the laces of his night shirt and moved toward the bathroom. There two maids awaited him, to assist in cleaning him up. He dismissed them as he wanted to take this time to be alone, after all this could probably be the only time he could be alone for the rest of the day.

The bathwater was uncomfortably warm against Beomgyu’s skin. It felt just shy of a burning sensation. It was for better skin according to Yeonjun, but Beomgyu believes the retainer might just have sadistic tendencies. No matter, he started by washing his hair and lathering soap onto his body, before lowering his body into the large basin. The pleasant floral scents did help to calm Beomgyu down, but only for a short while before his mind started to wander again.

The Empire to the East has been aggressively expanding for as long as Beomgyu could remember. They had taken over almost every single one of the 35 kingdoms of the East and were now fast approaching the Kingdom. His siblings have been actively working in aiding the nearby countries to defend themselves from the Empire, but Beomgyu is too frail to fight. His body would probably give out under the weight of armor before he could even strike somebody.

Beomgyu sunk his head down further into the bath and stayed like this for 10 minutes before Yeonjun called out for him.

The clothes laid out for him felt gaudy and far too over the top for his taste. There were frills all over his shirt and intricate lace designs left and right. The overshirt was the same color purple that decorated the halls and his door and had similar golden and blue accents. His boots felt too long and too tight on his legs and the corset he was wearing under his shirt felt too constricting. His waist was already tiny enough, he didn’t understand the need to make his frame even more petite.

“You look wonderful, Your Highness”, Yeonjun exclaimed proudly. He had moved on to clean up the prince’s slightly curly hair. After applying a little oil and styling the slight unnatural grey glisten to his hair was ever so evident. _Even more proof of how out of place he truly was_.

“I look wrong.” He felt wrong. He felt a distinct feeling of overwhelming discomfort aching through his chest and wanted nothing less than to free himself of the constraints of his gaudy clothing and flashy lifestyle.

“You’d think after six years you’d stop saying that”, Yeonjun said. His face settled into a frown as his hands lingered on Beomgyu’s hair. “You look just right, you look beautiful.”

Beomgyu blushed slightly at this, but shakes the comments off. “You only say that because you’re my retainer. Even you must know how the nobles look at me.”

“Of course I do, however the nobles are a bunch of pricks. Their opinions are irrelevant. What is relevant however, is how you act.”

Beomgyu smiled at his retainer’s reassuring words. It worked to ease his nerves, if only slightly.

👑

A knife could cut through the tension in the war room. The advisors were all on edge as they waited for the king to say what he had to. It looked like everyone was worn out from worrying about this.

Beomgyu looked around the room to find none of his siblings had attended this meeting. Beomin was still at the Azure Islands, helping out the sea defenses, but Hangyu and Seonggyu were at court. They were far more involved with politics than Beomgyu was, so it was strange to not see them here.

“Advisors, as you all well know, a delegation of the emperor will be arriving to the Kingdom soon. We have invited them as honored guests and will be discussing amicable terms to protect the people of the Kingdom from the war.”

Beomgyu grew more nervous with every word. This was all old news to him. What was really going on? Why was this emergency meeting called? And why was Beomgyu involved?

“Truthfully, the Empire had already set a few terms before talks cold even be an option.” Some whispers went through the room immediately. Beomgyu wasn’t able to make out anything said.

“Without consulting you, my most trusted advisors, I accepted the preliminary terms.” Exclamations of protest were heard throughout the room, but the retainers to each side of the king slammed their spears to the ground to silence the men in the room.

“What were these terms, Your Highness”, one of the advisors asked after a short moment of silence.

The King took his time to look at his son’s face for a few moments. His face shifted slightly to show an almost unreadable emotion. To Beomgyu it registered as something close to regret, or even sadness.

“The emperor’s only son, his heir apparent, will be wed to my heir apparent.”

For a moment the words didn’t register as truth. He didn’t realize what his father had just said. That was until he noticed all eyes turned to look to him. Realization hit him then as two things were revealed.

Beomgyu, the bastard son of the king, youngest of his siblings, would be next in line for he throne, over the obvious choice of Beomin.

He would be marrying a total stranger.


	2. black cats

The Kingdom was beautiful. According to Soobin, from the limited view he had out of his carriage, the Kingdom was much more beautiful than the Empire.

The Empire was arid and dry, with a few oases sprinkled here and there. What the Empire had in architecture and grandeur, the Kingdom had in environment and scenery. It was foreign to Soobin, but somehow, he felt this was much more comfortable to him than the deserts of his Homeland.

Looking at the countryside, he wished he could just jump out of the carriage and live an isolated, carefree life. A life where the responsibilities of a soldier weren't pushed on him by his uncle. A life where he didn't have to worry about a war, or about having to kill. He sighed deeply. Alas, this was the life he was given, and all he could do was live it.

"That sure was a deep sigh", Kai said. This snapped Soobin back to reality as he quickly shifted his attention from the scenery he saw out of the window to his best friend sitting in front of him and back to the book that lay abandoned on his lap.

"What are you thinking?", Kai asked.

"How do you think the people live here? Are they afraid?", Soobin asked. Kai took a minute to think the question over and then settled with "What do they have to be afraid of?"

Soobin scoffed at this. Kai was acting dumb again. Obviously, Soobin was asking about the war. Had the war affected the way the people in the Kingdom were living? Were they as fearful as some of the smaller countries to the east were? Soobin realised it was dumb to ask his friend, who was just as oblivious as him.

"Shouldn't you be worried about other things?"

Soobin ignored this. He didn't want to think about it right now. These were the last moments he had to think about something else. He had to use this time.

"I wonder what kind of person he is", Kai asked in a more hushed tone.

"What does it matter?", Soobin answered frankly.

"Of course it matters, you'll be spending the rest of your lives together after all", Kai retaliated.

"Sure, but even if he had a horrible personality, nothing would change", Soobin said in response. In truth, he too was curious, but he didn't want to have high expectations. Disappointment would settle after all. It always did.

"You say that, but what do you really feel? I know you're burning with curiosity just as I am", Kai said with a raised eyebrow. He was right of course. He often was.

"Aren't you nervous?", Kai asked. Of course Soobin was nervous, who, in his position, wouldn't be? He'd be meeting his future fiancé for the first time. No matter how reluctant he was to the idea, this would still be an exciting moment for anyone.

"I just hope this goes well", Soobin said. Because if it didn't, there would be more bloodshed, more fear mongering, more hatred. His uncle's hopes for expansion had been exhilarating, and admirable at first, but Soobin wasn't so sure of that now.

"Of course it'll go well, just don't be too shy, and I'm sure he'll fall for you immediately", Kai said with a bright smile. 

It was clear that Soobin and Kai were not talking about the same thing, but Soobin appreciated his friends reassuring words nonetheless.

About an hour later the carriage abruptly comes to a shaky halt. Soobin looked out the window hoping to see the castle, but to his surprise they had stopped what seems to be in the middle of the road in a forest.

"A large tree is blocking our way, Your Highness, I'm not sure if we'll be able to push it away either", came the driver's voice. "It's strange, Your Highness, there are no signs of a storm happening, so we're not sure how this tree might've fallen over. This might be a trap by bandits."

"Let me help", Kai suggested. Soobin offered his help too, to his guards dismay

"Your Highness, please, do you not listen? This might be a trap", said one of the three guards worried.

"Which is exactly why we should help", answered Kai. He smiled confidently at the confused driver, but gave no further explanation.

Soobin asked for the driver to come closer so he could whisper: "As soon as you see something suspicious, let us know."

The driver looked just as confused, but he hopped back onto position and held the reigns tight as he peered around.

"Soobin, I can handle a measly tree by myself, no need to exert yourself", Kai said as he kneeled down to inspect the still standing trunk.

"Of course you can", Soobin answered, looking around. "Just extra cauti-"

Before Soobin could even finish his sentence, the driver falls to the ground with a loud thud. An arrow was poking out of his neck and blood was seeping through the ground. Soobin quickly fell to the ground and with a swift jerk of his arm, he pulled the arrow out. He had expected a loud cry from the man, but it seems he was paralyzed.

"He's not dead, his artery wasn't punctured, but he seems to be affected by some kind of paralyzing agent", Soobin quickly assessed.

"I'll heal him as best as I can, you focus on shielding us and the horses", Kai answered. He had already placed the driver's head on his lap and started reciting something with his eyes closed. The air around him had turned cold and ice crystals were forming around the perimeter.

"Be on alert, this won't be the only attack", Soobin told the guards, who then quickly fell into formation.

Another arrow was shot, and this time Soobin caught the direction of it. The ice crystals instantly clustered together around the arrow and weighted it down enough so it fell. Soobin was caught by surprise however when two more arrows came flying at him. Luckily the guards were able to intercept the arrow in time. When Soobin turned his attention to Kai he could see that he had just finished healing the driver as best as he could.

"There are multiple assailants in the area, I think around four or five. They're moving very fast, so I doubt my ice would reach them", Soobin told Kai, whose eyes were still closed.

"There are only three, one of them is using illusion magic. I think they know about your abilities", Kai said. When he finally opened his eyes, they had a slight golden hue to them. Two tails had appeared on Kai's back. They were the same dark brown color of his hair and looked fluffy. "I think I might be able to block his magic, but I think you have to drop the air temperature significantly to slow the other two down."

Soobin nodded in response. Kai took a deep breath and shot himself in the air, out of Soobin's sight. He managed to carry the carriage with the three guards and the driver with him. Soobin felt his hands shaking as he expended more energy into the ice crystals he had spread around. His skin was now freezing over and a layer of ice was forming over the greenery of the area. Any normal person would be significantly hurt by the cold.

A loud explosion told Soobin these were no ordinary people. The air temperature was rising to a normal level again and Soobin could tell two people had escaped.

"That mage is very powerful Soobin, I think we need to escape", Kai said as he came back down. An extra tail had grown out of Kai's back and his teeth had grown slightly sharper.

"Transportation magic?", Soobin asked?

Kai shook his head. "Too many people, and I can't transport the carriage. I think I can make a diversion and we can drive out of the forest." He turned toward the shaking driver and told him to drive as fast as he could. "Don't slow down until you get to the castle."

The driver wasted no more time. Before he was even sure Soobin was on, the carriage was speeding down the forest path towards the West. When Soobin looked back toward Kai, his figure had been replaced by a 6 foot tall black cat with 5 flaming tails. It didn't take long before he lost sight of him as he moved through the forest quickly and the carriage moved on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize my chapters aren't very long. I do this on purpose because I know from experience that I write faster when I don't force myself to abide to a word count chapter per chapter. I hope you enjoyed.


	3. a garden in the sky

Beomgyu was still in shock long after the announcement was made. He was so in shock, he wasn't able to clearly think about it. His mind went blank. He knew the discussion kept going, but he couldn't keep up.

He was going to be married off to a stranger. To the heir of the neighbouring Empire. He was probably a war criminal. Was Beomgyu to spend the rest of his life next to a war criminal? And why? Was this the only option? How was he the heir apparent? He was just a commoner no more than 3 years ago. An orphaned commoner at that. Why hasn't Beomin been chosen for this? He was the oldest, the strongest, the most obvious decision. He was THE crown prince.

Beomgyu was snapped out of his thoughts when he felt Yeonjun squeeze his hand lightly. He looked toward his retainer, who looked at him with worry in his eyes.

He wanted to leave. He didn't want to be involved with the rest of the discussions. He didn't want to hear about a wedding, or co-ruling the two countries. He wanted to run away, back to his life before he was legitimised. It was simpler at the orphanage. No weird nobles who scrutinised him, no weird social rules he had to learn, no distant father who uses him as a pawn for politics.

"Beomgyu, you need to calm down", Yeonjun whispered. Beomgyu didn't notice he was shaking before Yeonjun said this. His breathing was uneven, his heart felt uncomfortable, beating in his chest frantically. A panic attack.

"I apologize, sirs, could you excuse me", Beomgyu said as he stood up quickly. Before he could even read anyone's reaction, he had moved toward the door. He heard Yeonjun scramble to follow him, but he paid him no mind. He needed to get away.

Beomgyu’s mind was swirling as he walked through the halls of the castle he was supposed to call home. He tried counting in his head to control his breathing, but he couldn’t focus. He lost count. His feet moved on his own, moving through staircases, toward the highest level of the castle. His surroundings were blurred. He faltered when he heard the familiar pace of Yeonjun’s long legs behind him until he came to a full stop in front of a large, intricate door. Strange carvings were littered over the door. He knew if he stepped into the room, Yeonjun wouldn’t be able to follow him in.

“I’ll wait for you here”, Yeonjun said. He was a few meters away from Beomgyu, but he didn’t move any closer.

Beomgyu didn’t answer, he sighed and opened the door, the carvings glowing a light purple haze before the door slammed shut behind him.

The room Beomgyu had entered was unlike any other in the castles. The room was as big as a ballroom and the ceilings were as high as a staircase. The room was very well lit, to the point where it was almost like the sun was shining inside. The most peculiar part of the room, however, was the lack of flooring. For about two meters in front of Beomgyu, the floor was made of brilliant, polished marble, but after that, it was mostly grass and flowers. The room was an indoor garden. Complete with a large fountain in the middle of the room.

Beomgyu quickly walked towards the centre and sat himself down in front of the large fountain. The fountain portrayed multiple things, mystical animals spouting out water, flowers adorning the edges, but what stood out immediately was the detailed sculpture standing in the middle of the fountain, pouring out a vase of water. It was a sculpture of an almost lifelike nymph. It had all the markers of the water fae, from the long, slightly curly hair, the fine, almost impossibly perfect facial features, and long, yet elegant limbs, to the almost paper-thin mayfly wings adorning the naked figure’s back. 

Immediately as he looked up at the sculpture, Beomgyu started to cry. He hadn’t wanted to cry, he hadn’t even come to this place to cry. He wanted to clear his mind, get his thoughts together. He had brought his legs up to his chest and knew he was still shaking aggressively from the panic he had felt only minutes ago. But the comforting sound of water splashing around was starting to calm him down.

_ I have to do this _ , Beomgyu thought to himself.  _ I can’t be selfish about this _ . The rational part of Beomgyu knew what the marriage would mean to the kingdom. Even disregarding the war, political marriages to expand territory or have more trade partners were common enough in the royal family. Even the king, his father, was currently married to one of the former princesses of the Azure Islands for mostly political reasons. The Azure Islands had been Kingdom territory for a very long time, but a few years before Beomgyu was born, tensions were rising. The Azure Islands’ nobility had been losing status, they believed, despite being one of the more important couriers of resources to the Kingdom. To prevent a revolt, the then Crown Prince, now the King, married his step-mother, now the Queen-consort.

_ It was only a matter of time before I’d be married off _ , Beomgyu reassured himself. But as he thought this, he could feel his heart constrain, yearning for a time where a sentence like that would’ve rung false, ridiculous even. A time where a responsibility like that wasn’t pushed onto him. And even now, he still didn’t understand why it was  _ him _ . He was the son of some random whore, as some of the nobles would say in whispers, maybe unaware, or perhaps painfully aware that Beomgyu could hear them. His oldest brother, Beomin, was practically perfect for this burden. He was a true noble, a true prince. Heck, he grew up with this. He knew how to navigate the circles, he knew how to charm the people and he was a strong soldier as well. He was in almost every sense better than his illegitimate younger brother.

Yet here he was, chosen as heir apparent, and now crying to himself in an isolated room in front of an inanimate object.

Beomgyu looked up at the face of the sculpture. Beomgyu doesn’t remember his mother very well. All he could see in his memories were small glimpses of her hair, that was similarly curly to the sculpture’s, maybe a bit more dishevelled. But somehow, the sculpture gave off a very motherly aura, the way the face was carved to slightly smile with eyes closed. It brought comfort to Beomgyu when he felt down on himself.

After a short while, Beomgyu shakily sighed, gathering his courage, and stood up. He looked at his shaky reflection in the ever-moving clear water of the fountain. His eyes were still slightly puffy, and his hair had become a bit of a mess, but at least he didn’t look like he was crying too much. He might’ve looked like he had just woke up from a nap.

As Yeonjun said he would, he had been waiting on his prince at the door. He looked up at Beomgyu, worry clear in his eyes, but didn’t say anything, or make any remarks as the prince weaved his arm into that of his retainer and leaned his head on his shoulder.

“You knew about this?”, Beomgyu asked, despite clearly knowing the answer to the question before asking.

“I’m sorry, Gyu”, was all Yeonjun said as he turned to look at Beomgyu’s face.

“It’s okay… I need to refresh myself for when the guests arrive… I might even meet my fiancé”, Beomgyu said after a short silence of his retainer staring at him and him avoiding his eyes. Beomgyu feigned a pep in his voice, but he could still feel Beomgyu’s worry.

“You look a mess, we still have much to do”, Yeonjun said with a smile. Beomgyu smiled at this. His retainer knew now was not the time to talk about it. The time might never come, after all, there was no changing the situation, but Beomgyu was thankful he didn’t press on the issue.

“Much to do indeed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm writing way slower than I want to, I'd like to update every week considering my chapters are so short but, I'm in university now, and my exams are coming soon, so I just don't have as much time to spare. Anyway, if you'd like more updates on me/my life, find me on twitter @/babyphaggots or on @/exofagg


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